"My hobby is amateur radio," he said. "I love the opportunity to talk to people around the world."

Attendees had the opportunity to use the ham technology, which was one reason Andrew Moore, 12, showed up.

"I wanted to come out here and listen to and talk into the radio," he said.

Moore was one of three children who communicated with a Fort Myers-based operator.

"At first I was a little nervous about talking to other people from around the world, but then I (realized) that there was nothing to be worried about," he said.

Later, attendees went outside the library, where club members made contact via satellite with a radio operator in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ham operators must pass a test to be a licensed amateur radio operator, Mahn said, adding that NOARC serves our area numerous ways, particularly as a backup communication mode for hurricane evacuation shelters.